Learning In 21st century

LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY DIGITAL EXPERIENCES AND EXPECTATIONS OF TOMORROW’S TEACHERS

OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS, THE SPEAK UP NATIONAL RESEARCH HAS DOCUMENTED THE STEADY INCREASE IN THE INTEREST OF K-12 STUDENTS, PARENTS AND EDUCATORS IN DIGITAL LEARNING AND THE USE OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES WITHIN INSTRUCTION. Students and parents both see technology use in school as a way to personalize the learning process.

Educators are excited about the opportunities to extend learning beyond the school day through enhanced school to home connections as well as improve the quality of instructional materials used in the classroom. Moreover, all K-12 education stakeholders place a high premium on the value of using technology within learning to help prepare today’s students to thrive and compete in the increasingly global information economy. Despite the rhetoric, however, administrators continue to identify barriers that limit the effectiveness of their technology visions and investments. Many identify teachers’ reluctance to use technology or their need for extensive training as significant obstacles to realizing the benefits of digital learning in the classroom. Couple that reality with the fact that over half of the nation’s teachers are Baby Boomers with retirement plans in the next few years, and it is understandable why school and district administrators are particularly interested today in how pre-service teachers are being prepared in their teacher preparation programs to teach in digital classrooms.

To address this need, Project Tomorrow®, the national education nonprofit organization that annually facilitates the Speak Up National Research Project, conducted a special Speak Up survey in spring 2012 for college students in teacher preparation programs, who we call Aspiring Teachers. The goal of the Speak Up for Aspiring Teachers survey was to understand the kinds of technology experiences that these college students were having with technology in both their personal and educational lives, and their expectations for using emerging technologies such as mobile devices, online learning and digital content in their future classrooms. Since 2007, Project Tomorrow has collaborated with Blackboard Inc. to create a series of annual reports that focus on key trends in the use of technology to increase student achievement, teacher productivity and parental engagement. This new report, the latest in the series, provides new insights that will inform college and university based teacher preparation programs as well as the induction and professional development processes within K-12 schools and districts. Tomorrow’s teachers may have the keys to finally unlock the potential of technology to transform teaching and learning, but much depends upon their experiences in their preparation program and how well future school leadership can support their expectations for essential technology tools and resources.

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KEY FINDINGS: • Aspiring teachers are tapping into emerging technologies such as social media and mobile devices to self-prepare themselves for their future teaching assignments For example, tomorrow’s teachers are leveraging social networking sites and discussion boards as informal professional development sources to complement their formal coursework.

using that technology within instruction. Understanding how tomorrow’s teachers are currently using technology in both their personal and professional lives is, therefore, a good predictor of their expectations for leveraging technology in their future classroom.

Given that the majority of our sampling pool is undergraduates younger than 23 years of age (59

• In spite of their comfort with using technology tools, the aspiring teachers say that their field experiences as student teachers and observing their professors are the best way for them to learn about how to integrate technology within instruction.

percent), it is not surprising that their preferred device

• School principals have high expectations for the pre-service technology experiences of their future teachers. The specific technology tools and techniques that the aspiring teachers are learning to use in their methods courses however do not match the expectations of those school principals.

Compared to the 54 percent of classroom teachers that

• Aspiring teachers place a high value on the role of technology to both impact student academic success and their own effectiveness as a teacher.

• Thinking about their future teaching assignment, aspiring teachers consider access to technology tools and resources to support instructional plans as one of the top five factors that will determine their future success as a teacher.

TECHNOLOGY AND TOMORROW’S TEACHERS – ACCESS AND USAGE IN THEIR PERSONAL LIVES A great teacher uses technology to engage their students because they are digital natives of the 21st century.

— ASPIRING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

for anywhere, anytime tasks is an Internet-connected smartphone. And their access to smartphones slightly outpaces the access of current classroom teachers. have a smartphone, 61 percent of aspiring teachers are smartphone users. For mobile devices like digital readers and tablets that are newer to the market, the access is similar for both the pre-service teachers and their more experienced colleagues who are already in the classroom.

One-quarter of in-service teachers (25 percent) have personal access to a digital reader or tablet computer; approximately the same percentage of aspiring teachers are using those same tools (24 percent).

The inherent digital native-ness of this next generation of teachers is more evident however, when we compare how these college students are tapping into social media tools in their personal lives with the activities of in-service teachers. Table 1 documents how tomorrow’s teachers are using social media to connect and collaborate with peers at a higher rate than the teachers who are currently in the classroom. Across the board, we see that the pre-service teachers are more likely to be active social media users than their more experienced

Following national population trends, aspiring teachers

future colleagues are. Pre-service teachers are almost

demonstrate that they also access a wide range of emerging

twice as likely to be doing collaborative writing using

technologies to connect with colleagues, organize their

a product such as Google Docs™ or blogging than

lives and pursue informal learning experiences. This

in-service teachers. The pre-service teachers are also

year’s national Speak Up report on the views of educators,

connecting with friends and colleagues via discussion

“Personalizing the Classroom Experience – Teachers,

boards and social networking sites. And in regards to

Librarians and Administrators Connect the Dots with

Twitter, the percentage of aspiring teachers that “tweet”

Digital Learning,” explains the correlation between educator

is three times the percentage for teachers who are in the

familiarity with technology and their strong likelihood of

classroom today.

blackboardlearn.com/K12

TABLE 1: SOCIAL MEDIA USE IN PERSONAL LIVES: PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS VS. IN-SERVICE TEACHERS

Social Media Usage

Aspiring Teachers

Current Teachers

Participating in an online community

17%

14%

Blogging

20%

11%

Using Twitter to communicate or follow others

30%

10%

Writing via a Google Docs™ program or similar product

35%

16%

Communicating via discussion boards, chat sites and social networking

74%

50%

Updating a personal social networking site

80%

55% © SPEAK UP 2013

Though we have seen a steady growth in the use of Twitter

many ways, the aspiring teachers’ pre-disposition to

by educators, the level of use by pre-service teachers is

leveraging technology tools to drive or support their

unparalleled. When asked about their extended use of

own self-initiated professional development is a likely

Twitter to support their professional needs as well as

continuation of their approach to learning from their

personal interests, 20 percent of the aspiring teachers

pre-college days. As reported in several Speak Up

said that they are in fact already using that social media

reports, the emergence of the “Free Agent Learner”

tool to enhance their professional knowledge. Only 8

(the middle school or high school student who feels

percent of classroom teachers today identify Twitter as

it is their responsibility and right to drive their own

a professional support tool.

educational destiny) has changed the ways many K-12

This increased access and familiarity that aspiring teachers have with emerging collaboration and organization tools in their personal lives translates into a more self-directed approach for their own professional development. Beyond coursework or class assignments, pre-service teachers are also regularly searching for podcasts and online videos (45 percent) to help them self-prepare for their future teaching assignments. They are also increasingly seeking online mentors who may be outside of their teacher program or institution to provide additional career guidance (42 percent). Their familiarity with social networking opens the door for personal sites such as Facebook to be used for project collaborations or homework help (35 percent). And approximately one-

school districts are now thinking about online and virtual learning. The impact of the “Free Agent Teacher”, as embodied in this next generation of aspiring teachers, could be an equally significant catalyst for transforming in-service professional development.

TECHNOLOGY AND TOMORROW’S TEACHERS – EXPERIENCES IN THEIR TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM A good teacher has to be a good learner. Teaching is a profession that requires life-long dedication to professional development and personal growth. I aspire to be both an educator and a mentor.

— ASPIRING HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER, LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO

fifth of the pre-service teachers (22 percent) are taking online assessments on their own to test their knowledge and skills, or using mobile applications to more fully explore content areas or to stay better organized. In

Despite the pre-service teachers’ informal use of emerging technologies to support their professional preparation, the vast majority of the teacher candidates still point

to traditional experiences as the best way for them to

compare those experiences with the expectations of

learn about integrating technology within instruction.

the principals that will be making critical hiring decisions

Two-thirds of the aspiring teachers (68 percent) said

over the next few years.

that they are learning about classroom technology use from their field observations and student teaching experiences. This of course suggests that student teacher placements should recognize the critical importance of the cooperating teachers’ familiarity and comfort with using technology within learning. Additionally, a similar percentage of teaching candidates noted that their best learning experience is through observation of how their college professors are using technology tools within their practice (62 percent). Finally, pre-service teachers also point to their classmates and pre-service colleagues as trustworthy sources for learning how to use technology effectively as a teaching tool (56 percent). Just as with the general use of technology, the aspiring teachers rely upon their peers to share with them tips and techniques for instructional technology usage.

The top three technology tools or techniques that students are learning in their methods classes are how to use word processing, spreadsheet and database tools (71 percent), how to create multi-media presentations (64 percent) and how to use interactive whiteboards (55 percent). While these are arguably important skills for teacher productivity, principals have a different set of expectations about the technology experiences they want to see in potential teacher candidates. Principals want new teachers to know how to use technology to create authentic learning experiences for students (75 percent) and how to leverage technology to differentiate instruction (68 percent) before they apply for a position at their school. Principals are also putting a high premium today on teachers’ abilities to use technology effectively to connect and communicate with students

As evident on many college campuses, the aspiring

and their parents (82 percent). And while many items

teachers are using a wide range of technology tools

on the principals’ wish list are tool-specific, their focus

as part of their typical college student day including

is squarely on the integration of tools such as mobile

creating multi-media presentations (75 percent), taking

devices, social media, online learning and digital content

online classes (58 percent) or using digital textbooks (52

into daily instruction, not use of the tools exclusively for

percent). In our exploration of how this next generation

teacher productivity. Chart 1 therefore compares items

of teachers is being prepared to teach in a digital

on this principals “wish list” with the actual technology

classroom, it is especially important for us to understand

tools and techniques that the students are learning in

what they are learning in their methods classes about

their methods class.

technology integration within instruction. And to also

CHART 1: TECHNOLOGY SKILL DEVELOPMENT: PRINCIPALS’ EXPECTATIONS VS. ASPIRING TEACHERS’ ACTUAL EXPERIENCES Aspiring Teachers

Ability to create and use video, podcasts and other media

Principals

Identify and evaluating quality digital content to use in class Incorperating student owned mobile devices Using social media within instruction with students How to teach an online class 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

© SPEAK UP 2013

blackboardlearn.com/K12

As noted in the chart, the pre-service teachers’ learning

ensure that the expectations are met with meaningful

experiences in their methods classes are not matching

programmatic changes within the teacher preparation

up with the expectations of the principals. The school

programs to address these new demands.

site administrators have significantly higher aspirations for the skills of the next generation of teachers to be able to use technology effectively within instruction. In many cases, the principals’ desires for pre-service teachers to have more sophisticated technology experiences reflect the evolving realities of their own school needs.

For example, the increasing interest in many districts to allow students to use their own mobile devices within class means that teachers must have the appropriate skills to manage that kind of a classroom environment. In this study, 45 percent of the principals cited that ability as a vitally important skill for new teachers; only 24 percent of principals said the same in 2008. The greater acceptance of online learning within even the traditional school environments is changing the way principals evaluate teacher candidates. In 2008, only 12 percent of administrators felt it was essential for new teachers to have learned explicitly how to teach an online class.

Four years later, one of every four principals (25 percent) want their new teachers to have those tangible skills.

This disconnect between the principals’ expectations

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Despite the disconnect between the new expectations of the principals and current teacher preparation, the preservice teachers generally believe that they are up the task of meeting these new demands. Almost three-quarters of the college students (72 percent) agree with the statement “I believe I am being well prepared to use technology effectively to enhance student achievement,” though only 17 percent strongly agreed. Whether tomorrow’s teachers have over-valued their skills or under-estimated the needs will only be determined by their actual practice in a digital classroom over the next few years.

TECHNOLOGY AND TOMORROW’S TEACHERS – EXPECTATIONS FOR THEIR FUTURE DIGITAL CLASSROOM A great teacher uses the most current technology effectively, makes certain that students are ready for the world in which the students will live and work, and instills a love of lifelong learning with his or her students.

— ASPIRING HIGH SCHOOL MATH TEACHER, NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

and the pre-service teachers’ actual experiences

Tomorrow’s teachers believe strongly in the potential

may be symptomatic of several conditions inherent

of technology, used effectively and appropriately, to

to K-12 education today. Strong national and local

transform teaching and learning across several major

interest in a wide range of new technologies and

indices of measurement. The pre-service teachers

implementation strategies is placing higher demands on

imagine their future classrooms as being hubs of student

both administrators and teachers for effective usage in

creativity, collaboration and innovation with technology

the classroom. These new strategies, coupled with the

as the engine for this transformation. Likewise, they see

Common Core Standards, are mandating additional

technology as a critical tool for creating more student

professional development for in-service teachers. Many

centered learning and increasing their connected-ness

districts, and especially those with large numbers of

with their students. While many in-service teachers

impeding teacher retirements over the next few years,

reflecting on their own classroom realities also note these

are keenly aware of the need for a more technology-

same conditions, many more are not yet realizing these

skilled and savvy teacher force to meet all of these new

same kinds of benefits or impacts. Table 2 illustrates the

demands. Unfortunately, in many cases, the articulation

high expectations of impact shared by aspiring teachers

between the K-12 schools and districts and their local

and the comparatively diminished reality perspective of

colleges and universities is not developed enough to

current teachers. For example, the pre-service teachers

(57 percent) are almost three times more likely to

And while some may dismiss the views of the aspiring

envision how technology can facilitate greater student

teachers

participation in classroom discussions than current

excitement for transforming learning with technology

teachers (25 percent). In a similar way, the pre-service

is based upon two realities. First, as noted earlier, these

teachers’ familiarity with social media appears to be

college students are already using tools such as social

driving their perceptions of how technology can help

media and mobile devices to enhance their personal and

them establish stronger personal connections with their

professional lives. They have a native experiential base

students. While less than quarter of current teachers

and earned value proposition that will serve them well

(23 percent) see technology playing a role in those

in their future classroom implementations. Second, they

connections, a majority of the aspiring teachers (59

have been on the front lines of seeing how their own

percent) can visualize the linkage between technology

teachers in elementary, middle and high school tried to

and teacher effectiveness around student connections.

integrate the technology into instruction to realize these

as

too

idealistic,

their

enthusiasm

and

TABLE 2: VIEWS ON THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON STUDENT SUCCESS AND TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS

Impact of technology within my classroom on:

Aspiring Teachers

Current Teachers

Develop their creativity

76%

35%

More motivated to learn

75%

50%

More participatory in discussions

68%

25%

Able to apply knowledge to problem solving

64%

26%

Deeply explore their ideas

59%

17%

Own their own learning

57%

22%

Work together more often

52%

22%

Create more interactive lessons

86%

51%

Better organization

70%

47%

Student centered learning approach

59%

37%

More connected to my students

59%

23%

Create more relevant lessons

57%

38%

Encourage students to be more self-directed

57%

30%

Facilitate student collaborations

54%

20%

My students’ academic success

My effectiveness as a teacher

© SPEAK UP 2013

blackboardlearn.com/K12

benefits with varying degrees of success. They have

Each year on the K-12 Speak Up surveys, we ask each

the opportunity to learn from the experiences of their

stakeholder (students, teachers, administrators and

predecessors. It is not surprising, therefore, that when asked to comment on the factors that will determine their success as a future teacher, access to technology is part of their top five requirements.

Thinking about your future teaching assignment, what will be most important to help you realize your success as a teacher?

1. Parents that are engaged in their children’s learning lives (77%) 2. Peers that are willing to share ideas with me (71%) 3. Supportive principal (70%) 4. Adequate classroom facilities (64%) 5. Technology tools and resources to support my instructional plans (63%)

ENDING THOUGHTS AND NEW QUESTIONS A great teacher should never stop learning – be open to new things, whether it is new technology, new content or sometimes just new people to work with. A great teacher should be part of a community and not be an island.

— ASPIRING LIBRARY MEDIA TEACHER, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK

parents) to envision the ultimate school for today’s learners and to identify for us the technology tools or strategies that they believe hold the greatest potential for increasing student achievement. For many district leaders, the resulting data from this question provides them with the critical ability to evaluate if they have a shared vision of digital learning amongst their diverse stakeholders in the district. Asking this question of the aspiring teachers provides K-12 leadership with new insights as to what kinds of technology access and tools this next generation of teachers expects to have in their future classroom. And it allows the leadership the opportunity to evaluate their own preparedness for these new teachers.

So, when the pre-service teachers identify “technology tools and resources to support my instructional plans” as a key factor to their future success, they may be thinking about these specific technologies:

TABLE 3: ASPIRING TEACHERS’ WISH LIST FOR THEIR ULTIMATE DIGITAL SCHOOL

Technology Tools and Strategies

Aspiring Teachers

1. Ability to access the Internet anywhere on campus

71%

2. Laptop or netbook for every student to use at school

71%

3. Adaptive learning software which adjusts levels and content to student needs

63%

4. Interactive whiteboards

59%

5. Online textbooks

48%

6. Digital content for classroom use

45%

7. Digital media creation tools

42%

8. Handheld student response systems

42%

9. Tablet computers

42%

10. Ability for students to use their own mobile devices

39% © SPEAK UP 2013

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In addition to sharing new insights and information about the digital experiences and expectations of tomorrow’s teachers, this timely review also can serve as a wake-up call for leadership in K-12 schools and teacher preparation programs. There is a significant opportunity today to ensure that this next generation of teachers is well-prepared to not only leverage emerging technologies within instruction, but to play a pivotal role in the development of new capacities for learning with technology. We therefore recommend the following key questions to spur new discussions with our leaders in K-12 and higher education.

Key Questions for K-12 School and District Leadership: • How do you want to partner with your local colleges and universities to ensure that they understand your needs for new teachers to have meaningful technology experiences and appropriate skill development opportunities?

• Are you prepared to meet the expectations and needs of this next generation of teachers for classroom technology tools and resources? If not, what do you need to do to be able to recruit the “best and brightest” from future teacher classes to teach in your school or district?

• Understanding the aspiring teachers’ use of emerging technologies in their personal lives, what are the implications for your induction programs and your ongoing professional development strategies?

How can you more fully tap into the digital expertise of these new teachers to infuse new ideas into your current teaching force while at the same time continuing to develop their skills as well?

Technology is just one component in the equation of what makes a great teacher.

The best teachers I have encountered have been able to appeal to students of different backgrounds and interests because they make teaching personal.

Key Questions for Leadership at Schools of Education and in Teacher Preparation Programs: • How well are your preparation programs meeting the needs of your local schools for technologyskilled and savvy teachers? If they are not, what do you need to do to understand the expectations of the hiring principals and enhance or modify your courses and programs to address those needs?

Do special technology integration classes work or is it best for professors to model the integration strategies in methods and content courses?

• Since the aspiring teachers place a high value on their student teaching and field experiences, how are you evaluating the technology skills of the cooperating teachers before you make those placements? Are there opportunities for your program to provide specific professional development to those cooperating teachers on the expectations for technology experiences?

• Understanding the aspiring teachers’ use of emerging technologies in their personal lives, how can your programs leverage tools such as social media and mobile devices to create additional collaboration and informal learning opportunities that build capacity for novice teachers’ success once they are in the classroom? How can you tap into these technologies to personalize your teacher education program to address the needs of your increasingly diverse student population?

— ASPIRING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER, PENN STATE

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ABOUT PROJECT TOMORROW AND SPEAK UP 2011 Project Tomorrow® is the nation’s leading education nonprofit organization dedicated to the empowerment of student voices in education. With 16 years of experience in the education sector, Project Tomorrow regularly provides consulting and research support about key trends in K-12 science, math and technology education to school districts, government agencies, business and higher education.

The Speak Up National Research Project is a national initiative of Project Tomorrow. Speak Up annually polls K-12 students, parents and educators about the role of technology for learning in and out of school and represents the largest collection of authentic, unfiltered stakeholder voice on digital learning. Since 2003, over 3 million K-12 students, parents, teachers, librarians, principals, technology leaders and district administrators have shared their views and ideas through Speak Up. K-12 educators, higher education faculty, business and policy leaders report that they regularly use the Speak Up data to inform federal, state and local education programs.

In spring 2012, Project Tomorrow conducted a special Speak Up survey designed exclusively to learn about the digital teaching and learning experiences and expectations of college students in undergraduate and graduate level K-12 teacher preparation programs. Understanding that increasingly school principals and district personnel directors are interested in the technology experiences of tomorrow’s teachers, this new data set is an important input to national discussions on school improvement initiatives. The Speak Up for Aspiring Teachers was open for participation through an online survey from March 12, 2012 to June 1, 2012 and promoted to schools of education. Additionally, social media that targeted pre-service teachers was also leveraged for outreach. During the open period, 1,351 college students completed the online Speak Up survey. Key characteristics of this convenience sampling include: • 81 percent were female; 19 percent male • 61 percent identified themselves as Caucasian • 75 percent were enrolled in undergraduate teacher preparation programs; 25 percent in post undergraduate programs either leading to a graduate level degree or to a teacher certificate or credential • 41 percent were aspiring for a multi-subject teacher credential; 46 percent for a single subject teacher credential; balance was undefined at this point • In terms of future assignments, 4 percent see themselves in a pre-school environment, 43 percent in an elementary school, 14 percent in a middle school and 35 percent in a high school.

The Speak Up for Aspiring Teachers survey included foundation questions about the college students’ use of technology in their personal lives as well as their use of technology within teacher preparation coursework. Additional questions asked about their expectations for using technology in their future classroom and their attitudes on the role of technology within learning and motivations for pursuing a teaching career. The data collected from the aspiring teachers was compared with the results of the surveys completed by 36,477 in-service K-12 teachers and 4,133 administrators during Speak Up surveys from fall 2011. As with all of the Speak Up results, the data is analyzed using standard cross-tab analysis. Key variables (such as internet and device access) are regularly tested for statistical significance.

ABOUT BLACKBOARD Blackboard is a global leader in education technology that transforms the experience of millions of students and teachers every day. Blackboard works with states, K-12 districts and virtual schools to expand educational opportunities, create collaborative learning communities and increase engagement for students, teachers, parents and administrators. With Blackboard’s website, online learning, mobile, and mass communication solutions, educators are closing the gap between the way students live and the way they learn through personalized, connected learning experiences that meet the needs of the K-12 classroom and the 21st century. Learn more at www.blackboard.com/k12.

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